Pads are used for people to sit and/or lie on comfortably and may, for example, be placed on conventional chairs or mattresses in order to improve their sitting and/or lying properties. Pads of this type have to satisfy further requirements in the nursing care and hospital sector. Apart from comfortable sitting and/or lying properties, pads of this type have to be robust and easy to clean. Pads generally have a substantially rectangular outer contour. However, there is increasingly a need for pads having an outer contour which differs from this.